


Healing Ties

by love2hulksmash



Series: The Ties That Bind [2]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Dates, Hurt Steve McGarrett, Is there such a thing as "proper" with these two?, M/M, Proper First Dates, Protective Danny "Danno" Williams, Ties & Cravats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-16 05:09:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14804976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love2hulksmash/pseuds/love2hulksmash
Summary: It's been a little while since the Honolulu Pride Parade and Steve finally has found the time to take Danny on a proper date.....or has he?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, this story happened because my Muse apparently wasn't quite done with little old ialwayslikedthetie's vague prompt. So by default, this is her fault yet again. Also, much love (all the love, every single bit of it) to my favorite Beta in the world, bxbori1981. I'm semiconfident in my writing, but she believes in it so much, it's a little humbling. I love you to Pluto and back, babe!

Steve sat nervously outside Danny’s apartment, turning a small ceramic pot of hibiscus flowers in his hands. He’d carefully pruned them from his backyard after work, wanting to do this whole “proper date” thing…properly. Three weeks had passed since the Oahu-based LGBT Legacy Foundation’s Annual Honolulu Pride Parade, three weeks since the SEAL had come out as bisexual to Danny and the rest of his _ohana_.

 

Not much had changed between he and Danny over those past few weeks, either. He still (mostly) refused to heed Danny’s warnings over silly things like speed limits and backup. Danny still brought him Liliha’s almost every morning, still showed up at his house almost every evening for a couple post-work beers and maybe dinner.

 

Danny had been right about one thing, though, Steve had happily discovered. The best way to shut the mouthy blonde up was with his own. The two had shared some epic kisses since agreeing to explore this new side of their relationship, but had gone no further than heavy petting. They’d agreed to take things slow, or as slow as Danny was comfortable with given their work relationship.

 

Neither wanted this “thing” to drag out, but Danny had been a cop for almost as long as Steve had been in the Navy. He’d seen more than his fair share of cops date and break up, and he didn’t want to join that statistic, especially if he and the SEAL had a bad fallout over it. So, he’d told Steve he wanted to take things slow until they were both sure it was built on a rock-solid foundation.

 

_As if we don’t already have that after the past year_ , Steve thought somewhat somberly as he climbed from his truck, _Maybe…maybe Danny doesn’t…._ Shaking his head to try to clear the morose thoughts, the brunette slipped on his sunglasses and made his way up to Danny’s apartment. He recalled the look in Danny’s eyes when he’d brought up taking him out on this “proper date”.

 

Yeah, the blonde wanted this, maybe even more than Steve did. Reaching the Jersey native’s apartment door, Steve took a deep, calming breath before lifting his hand and knocking as confidently as he could fake. Danny opened the door moments later, and Steve actually wasn’t surprised at his half-dressed flustered state. His shirt wasn’t buttoned, and he clutched his rainbow tie tightly in one hand, his phone pressed to an ear with the other.

 

“Ma, please, it’s not a big deal, I swear,” he grumbled into the receiver, “Look, I gotta go, okay??” Steve moved past him with an understanding grin. He could guess well enough what Danny’s mother was saying.

 

“Yes, ma, I’ll call you tomorrow,” Danny said shutting the door with a sigh. He finally ended the call, letting out a deep sigh as he turned, jumping slightly at Steve’s closeness. “Babe…,” he said quietly, a grin coming to his face, “You okay?”

 

Steve swallowed thickly as his eyes roved over the blonde’s bared chest. He knew Danny was stronger than his compact frame implied, but to have the man exposed before him like this, even just in slacks and an open shirt, sent a surge of lust coursing through him. “I’m good, Danno,” he whispered finally glancing down at the flowers in his hands, “Uh….”

 

“You plannin’ on holdin’ on to those or…?” Danny asked grinning. He’d be lying if he said the lust he saw on the SEAL’s face hadn’t just shot his confidence through the roof. Also, the fact that Steve had brought him flowers, actually brought him flowers? The man continued to surprise him at every turn.

 

Steve’s cheeks flushed as red as the flowers he held, and he practically thrust them out towards the smaller man. “They’re from my backyard,” he mumbled embarrassed. Danny chuckled and took the small pot from him, giving the flowers a sniff as he moved past Steve and to the kitchen. Steve followed behind him, his hands stuffed in his pockets. Danny ran water into the soil, just enough to wet it, then set the pot near the kitchen window where it would receive the most sunlight.

 

“Answer me this, Steve,” the blonde spoke finally facing him, “Who the hell came up with your SEAL nickname, because smooth, my friend, you are not.” Steve snorted softly and eased into his space, pressing him back against the counter and resting his hands on the edge on either side of Danny’s hips.

 

“Sorry, Danno, but that’s classified information,” he murmured. Danny let his gaze rove over the deep blue dress shirt and black slacks the brunette had decided to wear, asking, “Sure there’s nothin’ I can do to…get you to spill?”

 

Steve slowly bent down, close enough to where his lips just brushed Danny’s. It was honestly his second favorite way to kiss him, just the barest contact, enough to feel the warmth of his skin, the trembles of his breathing. “Maybe,” he whispered into Danny’s half-parted lips.

 

Danny slowly licked his lips as he brought a hand up to the side of Steve’s face. The brunette’s eyes drifted closed and he leaned into the contact, almost nuzzling against the blonde’s palm. He grinned and softly said, “We’ll get there, babe. But…I do believe we’ve got a reservation for a…a very nice meal I’ve been lookin’ forward to all week.”

 

Steve grinned and finally pulled back, allowing Danny to move away from him. “You’re the one half-dressed, Daniel,” he said eyeing the blonde’s bared chest once more. Danny smirked and headed towards his bedroom. “Five minutes, babe, promise,” he said before shutting the door.

 

The SEAL let out a soft groan and quickly adjusted his pants, willing his half-hard cock into submission. His stomach rumbled hungrily, and he couldn’t fight the grin that came to his face. Dinner first, definitely, then maybe he could convince Danny into having dessert back at his place.


	2. Chapter 2

Steve pulled into a small parking lot a block away from Senia Restaurant just a few minutes before they were supposed to be there for their reservation. Danny eyed him carefully when he hesitated to get out, and Steve let out a shaky breath. “You sure you wanna do this, babe?” he asked quietly, “You know I’m fine with takeout, either my place or yours.”

 

“No…. You deserve to be taken out somewhere nice, Danny,” Steve answered, trying to silently convince himself to release the steering wheel so he could exit the truck already, “That’s…. You deserve this, and I wanna give it to you.”

 

“Yeah, I mean, I’m not gonna fight you there. I’m a damn good catch, if I do say so myself,” Danny said with a grin, trying to alleviate the fear practically pouring off Steve’s skin, “You should count yourself lucky, Smooth Dog.”

 

Steve gave a half-humorous, half-disdainful chuckle, finally looking over to the blonde in wonder. “Why are you willin’ to risk it with me, Danny?” he whispered, “I can’t even make myself get outta this fuckin’ truck to take you to dinner.”

 

“Well…, I’d like to think that…you know that you _really_ don’t have to do this, Steven. I would never make you do anything you don’t want to,” Danny said, holding up a finger when it looked like the SEAL was about to speak, “Anything you don’t _already_ wanna do. The parade was one thing, you had your mind mostly made up about that even before…. But this? You forget how well I know you, babe. And this? You’d rather go back to Halawa than do this.”

 

Steve dropped his head in shame, because Danny was absolutely right. The idea of being out in public like this, of being seen on an actual date with another man, even if that man was Danny? Torture training in BUD/S would seem like a walk in the park by comparison, and Steve hated himself for feeling like that.

 

“Just because you…,” Danny said quietly, reaching over and gently prying the brunette’s right hand from the wheel, wrapping both hands around it in comfort, “Just because you told me about that side of you, Steve, doesn’t mean you have to tell the world. It doesn’t mean you have to show me off, although…to be honest…I’d be the one showing _you_ off, not the other way around.”

 

Steve felt his cheeks warm as he finally looked to the blonde. “I’m not ashamed of you, Danny, you have to know that. I’m not even ashamed of me. But…at the parade, with you and Kono and Chin and Gracie…, it didn’t even feel like a big deal, because I was with my _ohana_ , ya know,” he said quietly.

 

Danny grinned and said, “I know what you mean, babe. So what do ya say we…we try this again some other time?”

 

Steve sighed heavily, and Danny could tell he was about to apologize yet again. He leaned forward and quickly pressed his lips to the other man’s, licking tentatively at his bottom lip. Steve gasped softly, opening up in permission and groaning a little louder when Danny’s tongue smoothly slid between his parted lips.

 

Danny felt Steve’s hand curl tighter and tighter under his own the longer the kiss went on. When he finally pulled away, the brunette followed his movement, chasing his lips. “Easy, big guy. I'm still demanding food first,” the blonde said chuckling softly.

 

Steve swallowed thickly as he tried to bring his heartrate back down to a reasonable level. “I can, uh…. Maybe I can go in and just order somethin’ to go?” he offered, still eyeing Danny's mouth.

 

Danny shook his head and said, “I think I'll pass on that. If you want, we can…pick up some steaks, I can get some things for a nice salad, some veggies, maybe a bottle of wine or-or Longboards?” He carefully stroked the back of Steve’s hand until the SEAL finally relaxed again, a grin playing at his lips.

 

“Okay, Danno,” he whispered letting out a slow breath, “Date night at my place, then.” Danny grinned and finally released his hand. “You're driving, babe,” he said softly.

 

Steve grinned as well, starting the truck back up and pulling from the parking lot. The pressure that had been sitting on his chest since he’d first parked in Danny’s apartment complex finally seemed to lift. Danny put him at ease in a way he couldn’t yet verbalize, but maybe one day soon he'd find the right words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me.... :)


	3. Chapter 3

Danny climbed out of the truck in front of Steve’s house carefully, keeping a tight grip on the two brown paper bags filled with the necessary items for their dinner. Steve followed behind him with a 6-pack of Longboards in one hand, jingling his keys softly with the other.

 

“What's on your mind, babe?” Danny asked as they entered the slightly darkened house. Steve had become withdrawn after they'd left the grocery store, his brows pinching and the corners of his mouth dropping further and further the closer they’d gotten to his home. Danny tried getting him to laugh again, to crack a semblance of a smile, had even tried casually holding his hand. The brunette, though, had refused to give up his iron-like grip on the steering wheel.

 

Steve shrugged and headed for the kitchen to put the beer in the fridge. Danny kicked the door shut before following him, placing the two bags on the counter island. He took a slow breath before turning to face Steve, knowing he had to tread carefully. Getting Steve to open up about anything that was bothering him physically was hassle enough; it was damn near impossible to get him to talk about his feelings.

 

“Usually I can read your expressions pretty well, but this one,” he said motioning towards the brunette's face, “What's this one?”

 

Steve leaned back against the closed fridge, his eyes on the floor as he tried to put his thoughts in some semblance of order that would make sense. He’d spent the ride back from the store wondering why exactly he couldn’t bring himself to take Danny to Senia like he'd promised he would. He felt…discombobulated inside, like there was something off with his whole being.

 

“I'm sorry, Danny…. God, I'm sorry,” he finally said quietly, shifting nervously against the cool appliance at his back, “This isn’t…. I wanna take you out for real, I swear I do.”

 

Danny quickly moved in front of him, cupping his face and trying to get the SEAL to look at him. “There's somethin' wrong with me, there has to be,” Steve said trying to pull away from his grip, his eyes locking on a spot just over Danny’s head when it became clear the blonde wasn’t going to let go.

 

Danny let out a slow breath and moved that much closer, until their bodies touched. He didn’t say anything, just stood in Steve’s space, resting his fingers against the brunette's sharp jawline. Long moments passed as neither man moved, until Steve finally shuddered out a breath and relaxed against Danny’s gentle touch, hesitantly meeting his gaze.

 

“There's absolutely nothing wrong with you,” Danny said softly, “Well…, I mean, you have, like, _zero_ self-preservation skills, and you drive way too fast, and I'm pretty sure you're actually part amphibian, but….” He trailed off when he felt more than saw Steve’s mouth turning up.

 

“I do have self-preservation skills, Danny,” Steve murmured. Danny smiled fully and countered, “But you didn’t deny being part amphibian! I knew it! You spend your mornings communing with your fish pals, not swimming, don’t you?”

 

Steve chuckled and shook his head in amusement. “You’re crazy, buddy,” he whispered resting his hands on the blonde’s waist.

 

“Maybe so, but I also know without question that you’re stronger than you think you are,” Danny spoke gently stroking his cheeks, “And I don’t mean physically. I already know you’re good at the SuperSEAL stuff. I mean…here.” He pressed his index finger to Steve’s temple, and Steve’s eyes dropped once more just as his phone rang from his pants pocket.

 

Danny sighed heavily and finally moved away from him. Steve hesitated to answer it, and Danny said, “It might be a case.” Steve still didn’t move, so the blonde pulled the phone out himself, holding the screen up.

 

“It’s Duke, so it’s definitely a case,” he said answering the call and holding the phone out to the taller man. Steve finally took the phone and gruffly answered, “McGarrett.”

 

Danny merely packed away their groceries, hoping whatever it was Duke was calling about didn’t completely ruin his weekend. And he was definitely making Steve stop to pick up something to eat on their way to whatever crime scene they were being called to. He was still hungry, damn it.


	4. Chapter 4

Steve scrambled from his truck almost before he’d fully screeched to a halt just outside the Carats & Karats Fine Jewelry store, and Danny was right on his heels. Bullets pinged up the hood of the truck, several penetrating even through the windshield into the seats where they had just been sitting. In his rush to the safety of the back of the truck, the SEAL noted the shots were coming from the cracked-open doorway of the jewelry store.

 

“Shit, I just got this fixed up,” Steve grumbled crouching down behind the back bumper. Danny smirked indignantly and said, “Now you know how I feel when my Camaro gets shot to hell three times a week.” Steve merely rolled his eyes and glanced around the back of the truck, trying to get a better look at the shooter.

 

Duke made his way over to them moments later, two protective vests in hand. “We got the call about a half-hour ago, Steve, silent alarm got tripped, and the security company said this was the fifth jewelry heist for one o’ their clients in the past month,” he said hurriedly, “Units were here within five minutes, but when they tried to make entry, the shots started. Luckily the place was already closed for the day, so it’s not a hostage situation.”

 

“He’s been shooting for 20 minutes? Why’s he got that much ammo for a simple robbery on a closed business?” Danny wondered aloud slipping on the vest and tightening the straps.

 

“Your guess is as good as mine, Detective,” Duke said, and Steve could hear the frustration in his tense tone.

 

“Alright, Duke, how long until SWAT can get here? I don’t wanna risk any civilians getting caught in the crossfire if this guy drags this out much longer,” Steve said, “And please tell me you have schematics for that building.”

 

“Steven…,” Danny said warningly, “Don’t even think about pullin’ any SuperSEAL stunts on me tonight.” Steve rolled his eyes again and responded, “It’s what I’m good at, Danny, remember?”

 

Danny jerked back almost in shock, wondering where the hell _that_ had come from. Duke looked awkwardly between the two men for a moment before saying, “SWAT is en route, McGarrett, they should be here in the next ten minutes. But, yeah, we’ve got the schematics, like SWAT does. The SWAT commander said his team was going over them now so they’d have an entry plan in place as soon as they rolled up.”

 

“Can’t wait that long. That guy’s already been in there too long as it is,” Steve said taking a deep breath. “Steve…,” Danny said hesitantly, “Please give SWAT the ten minutes they need to get here. They’re better equipped to deal with this, and there’s a lot more o’ them than there are of you.”

 

The SEAL shook his head and looked to Duke. “Where are those schematics?” he asked simply. Duke motioned for Steve to follow him, and they quickly made their way over to one of the police vehicles further away from the scene.

 

Danny sighed heavily and scrubbed his hands roughly over his face. This side of Steve scared him to no end, but he also knew there was no talking him out of whatever harebrained plan he’d come up with now. Better to do what he did best, and be the SEAL’s backup like the brunette knew he would.

 

Within two minutes, Steve and Danny were properly kitted up for what Steve called “a quick in-and-out”. Danny shook his head, grumbling his protests as they made their way down a small, dank alley on the left side of the building, out of the shooter’s line of sight. “Five minutes, you couldn’t wait five minutes, Steve, I mean, seriously,” he said quietly.

 

“Danny, do you have my back or not?” Steve snapped over his shoulder before focusing his attention back on the path ahead. They’d be infiltrating the jewelry shop from the back entrance, and he could only hope the perp didn’t have any friends hanging out in the alley as lookouts.

 

“You really have to ask me that?” Danny snapped back, “Over a year in, and you still think you have to ask me that?”

 

Voices nearby alerted them just as they were about to turn into the connecting alley where the jewelry store’s back door was located. Steve stopped them at the corner with a raised fist, and Danny whispered, “This is not a SEAL op, Steven!”

 

Steve smirked as he chanced a peek around the corner. “There’s a dumpster in the way,” he whispered getting a firmer grip on the rifle in his hands, “I’m goin’ in.” Before Danny could voice another protest, Steve had raised his weapon and disappeared around the corner.

 

The blonde muttered several curse words as he followed behind his colleague, sending up a silent prayer that they actually managed to take these bozos down without a shot fired. Knowing Steve like he did, though, any kind of divine intervention was pretty much an impossibility.

 

When they reached the dumpster, Steve stopped and kneeled silently, peeking around the edge. A small, black minivan was parked just outside the backdoor to the jewelry store not 15 feet away from them, and a brunette dressed in black cargo pants and a black t-shirt was moving small boxes from the ground into the open passenger side.

 

“Hurry up, man, Tony said he’s almost outta ammo!” a voice screamed impatiently from the driver’s side seat, “And Five-0 just showed up!”

 

“We’re almost done, Kona, almost done!” the man outside the van said practically throwing boxes inside now. Steve took a deep breath, looking to Danny in question. Danny took a deep, calming breath as well before nodding his agreement.

 

“Five-0, put your hands up right now! Do it now!” Steve yelled standing up and aiming his weapon at the man outside the van, Danny right at his side with his own gun aimed as well. A gun appeared from the driver’s side window, and Steve quickly shifted his focus.

 

In the split second it took him to send off a three-round burst through the rear window, killing whomever had been about to fire, the second man fired his own shot just before Danny put him down as well. Steve’s upper right side exploded in pain, and Danny screamed his name as he fell back to the ground with a small grunt.

 

“Steve, no, goddamn it, no!” Danny screamed holstering his weapon and dropping to Steve’s side. Blood seeped from the hole near his shoulder at a steady pace, and Danny didn’t even think twice as he yanked off his rainbow tie.

 

“Argh!” Steve groaned as his friend pressed down on his wound with the fabric, “Danny, don’t….”

 

“Shut up, you dumbass, I _told_ you! I told you this was a stupid idea, and we shoulda waited for SWAT, why don’t you ever listen to me when I tell you these things?!” Danny practically screamed, “Officer down back here! Duke! Somebody! Officer down! OFFICER DOWN!”

 

“You’re gonna…,” Steve tried to say even as Danny pressed harder, and the pain really was reaching a scale he hadn’t experienced in a while. He forgot how much shoulder wounds hurt, but he could tell it was a through-and-through. There’d likely be no permanent damage other than one more scar to add to the plethora that already decorated his body.

 

“Shut up, McGarrett! Did I or did I not tell you not to do this?!” Danny snapped reaching under him to feel for the exit wound Steve already knew was there.

 

“Yeah, you did,” Steve groaned as Danny’s fingers found what he was looking for. The brunette bit down on his lips to stop the scream clawing at his throat when Danny pressed from that side as well. They heard gunshots coming from inside the jewelry store, and Steve genuinely hoped that meant Duke and his team had taken down the original shooter.

 

“OFFICER DOWN BACK HERE! OFFICER DOWN!” Danny screamed again once the gunshots stopped.

 

“Danny, it’s…it’s a through-and-through, it’s fine,” Steve murmured, even as his body began to feel more and more lethargic. Danny eyed the blood flowing steadily over his fingers and knew it was more than that.

 

“Hey, Steve, hey, no, don’t you go to sleep on me! Wake up, buddy, come on, eyes on me!” he said squeezing even harder on Steve’s wounds.

 

Steve let out a pained noise, his eyes peeking open. Without a thought, he suddenly shoved Danny away as he pulled his pistol from his holster, aimed, and fired a single round. Danny looked to his right just as the body hit the ground, the rifle the man had been holding clattering down beside him.

 

“Shit,” he whispered breathlessly. Steve dropped his gun at his side, and Danny saw his eyes flutter shut once more.

 

“Steve, hey, come on, goddamn it, I said don’t go to sleep,” Danny snapped reestablishing his hold over both sides of Steve’s shoulder. Steve swallowed thickly and said, “Not goin’ to sleep, Danno, just…just restin’ my….” His head rolled to the left, and Danny felt his heart lodge in his stomach.

 

“OFFICER DOWN!!” he screamed towards the open doorway just as a SWAT member emerged, “Get some help back here NOW!” The man disappeared back through the doorway, and Danny vaguely heard him calling for EMTs. He looked back down to his best friend, trying to rouse him without jostling him.

 

“You owe me a meal, asshole, you do not get to use dying as an excuse to get out of it, especially from a stupid shoulder shot!” he snapped, “And not just dinner at your place, either, we do that three or four times a week anyway!”

 

EMTs finally appeared and moved Danny aside, but not before the blonde spotted the small quirk of Steve’s lips. He could practically hear Steve laughing at him for that, even as the EMTs loaded him up and carted him away to the ambulance. He was gonna kill him, he was definitely gonna kill him.


	5. Chapter 5

“Why do _I_ have to be blindfolded, Steven? This isn’t some twisted form o’ physical therapy for you, is it?”

 

Steve smirked as he led Danny to their destination with his left hand cradled in Danny’s right elbow. This was his first time out of his hospital room in nearly a week, and he was looking forward to the surprise. Kono and Chin had been beyond helpful in getting everything there, and the nurses on his floor had been close to desperate to help set everything up, even if a few of them were disappointed at his initial request.

 

“Daniel, do you trust me?” he asked opening the door ahead carefully. He would be in a sling for at least another two weeks, at least until his body healed enough to get the stitches from his gunshot wound removed. Using his right hand wasn’t necessarily painful, not with the meds they’d been pumping into his system over the past few days, but he couldn’t bite back the small grunt of pain at the motion.

 

“If I wasn’t blindfolded, I could open the door, babe,” Danny said at the noise. Steve rolled his eyes and held the door open with his foot, guiding the blonde through with his left hand.

 

Danny stopped when the smell of fresh flowers hit his nose, and he tilted his head up slightly at the feel of warm sunlight. “Babe…?” he questioned softly. Steve grinned and moved him forward to the small table set up near the back of the garden, guiding him down into one of the chairs before finally removing the blindfold.

 

“You said I owed you a meal, Danny,” he said softly, “I know it’s…probably not where you had in mind, but…turns out Senia does make orders to go.”

 

“I didn’t think you'd heard that,” Danny said looking up at the brunette, and Steve couldn’t miss the flash of fear that passed through the blondes eyes, “You were…pretty out of it….”

 

“I would've owed you a meal anyway, since our night was kinda…interrupted,” Steve responded finally sitting down across from him.

 

Danny eyed the small ceramic pot on the table, filled with bright red hibiscus flowers, and asked, “Who’d you get to break into my apartment?”

 

“It’s not breaking in if they have a key. And I don’t think Kono would appreciate you calling what she did a crime,” Steve said grinning. Danny rolled his eyes playfully and said, “You’re only encouraging her, ya know.”

 

“What do you mean?” Steve asked removing the silver covering from Danny’s plate, then his own. Danny snorted and said, “You really are that clueless, huh?”

 

At the confused look on the SEAL’s face, Danny smiled fully and said, “Babe, she’s been tryin’ to get us together for…jeez, almost since you brought her onto the team. Why do you think she made that little crack about the spot cleaner last month? That was _not_ for my benefit, trust me.”

 

Steve’s cheeks flushed red at the memory, and Danny’s smile grew impossibly larger, until the corners of his eyes crinkled in the brunette’s favorite way. The SEAL cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly and motioned towards their plates. “Food’s gettin’ cold,” he murmured.

 

Danny’s lips quirked, but he ended his teasing and commenced with their meal. The food was pretty damn good, he’d admit that much, but the company was even better. They talked jovially over the next half-hour, Danny catching Steve up on the jewelry store heist case taking a majority of the time. The three men at Carat & Karat had been behind nearly 15 robberies over the past six months, working through the security company’s list of clients slowly but efficiently with the help of a company employee.

 

Kono and Chin had tracked down the woman based on encrypted communication on two cellphones HPD had found at the most recent heist. The cousins had worked around the clock since Steve had been shot, and they’d finally arrested her just that morning as she was heading into the Honolulu Airport to flee the country.

 

“Well, at least I know I didn’t take one for the team for nothin’,” Steve said sipping on the last vestiges of his lemon water. Danny’s lips turned downward, and Steve quickly went to apologize, but the blonde stopped him with a shake of his head.

 

“You…you’re not just good at the SuperSEAL stuff, ya know,” Danny said quietly, “That wasn’t…. You’re so much more than that. I hope you know that.”

 

Steve slowly set his plastic cup down and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I know that, Danny,” he said just as quietly, “I…I know that.” Danny waited for what seemed like forever for Steve to look back to him, an anxiousness in his eyes that only Danny would ever be able to see.

 

“For pretty much my entire adult life, all I’ve known is the Navy way of doin’ things…the SEAL way of doin’ things. Failure is not an option, not when I know the plans I come up with are solid. And I know it may seem like I’m doin’ things on a whim, but that’s not it at all, Danny. I had to learn how to come up with strategies like that on the fly, because otherwise…people got dead. Not just hurt…dead,” he explained slowly, “And if I have it in me to avoid that outcome, to keep innocent people from danger, then…I don’t stop to think, because if I stop to think, that leaves room for doubt. And I could never afford to doubt myself.”

 

“Babe, I get that, you know I do. I actually agree with you 100 percent, neither one of us wants to see innocent people get hurt or-or killed, not in our line o’ work,” Danny countered, “But…I coulda lost you a few days ago, and that’s…that’s not an option for me, either.”

 

Steve’s cheeks tinted red at the implication, and he couldn’t fight the grin that made its way to his face. “I’ll…I’ll try to wait for…for SWAT next time,” he said softly. Danny smirked and said, “No, you won’t.”

 

“Oh, I, uh, I got you somethin’,” Steve said reaching into his left pocket and pulling the small, rolled-up item out, “Close your eyes and hold out your hand.”

 

“Really? Again with the closed-eyes thing,” Danny joked before doing as the brunette requested. Steve took a deep breath before carefully placing the item in Danny’s outreached hands, closing his fingers around them and squeezing before pulling his hand back.

 

Danny took a deep breath before opening his eyes and unfurling his hands. He would blame the (nonexistent) wind for how watery his eyes got in that moment. A brand-new brightly colored rainbow tie sat loosely curled in his palms.

 

“It may be just a shoulder wound, but you…. There’s no permanent damage because of you, Danny, and I’m sorry for ruining your tie because I was cocky,” Steve said softly, “You’re my backup, yeah, but…I promise I’ll try to wait for…a little more backup in the future.”

 

“Yep…, there’s the Smooth Dog I know,” Danny whispered.

 

“He’s always here,” Steve countered, “You just have to know how to bring him out.”

 

“Oh, I’m pretty sure I know a way or three to…make him show up a little more often,” the blonde said smirking, and the SEAL practically flushed red at the desire shining brightly in Danny’s crystal blue eyes. His small grin turned into a full smile as Danny stood and moved over to his side.

 

“You think you know me, huh?” he asked softly, gazing up at the blonde. Danny placed a hand on the back of Steve’s chair, eyeing his mouth before answering just as softly, “Over a year in, and you still think you have to ask me that?”

 

Steve let out a happy sigh as his friend leaned down, their lips meeting in a gentle, flirty kiss. Danny’s free hand moved up to his jaw, his thumb stroking against the stubble that lined his jaw. Steve grasped his forearm, moaning softly as Danny slipped his tongue into his mouth.

 

The kiss seemed to last forever in Steve’s mind. Danny’s hand strayed around to the back of his head, his fingers mindlessly carding through the short hairs at the base of Steve’s skull, their tongues continuing a gentle dance until the brunette lost all awareness of their surroundings. It wasn’t until Danny pulled away gasping for air against his lips that Steve realized he might need oxygen, too.

 

“As soon as you’re all healed up…,” Danny murmured against his lips. Steve shuddered out a breathy, “Yeah…?” Danny’s lips just grazed his own, and the brunette’s grip on Danny’s forearm tightened as desire flooded his body.

 

“You…, me…, and this tie? We’re gonna have some fun,” Danny murmured before capturing his mouth in a bruising kiss. Steve groaned and thought, _Please, God, let me heal up fast._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All done! Let me know your thoughts, kudos and comments ALWAYS appreciated! XD


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